The Choices We Must Face
by MrsDarcy14
Summary: Draco Malfoy meets his neighbor Annabelle and learns to fall in love. Will a life changing decision change everything he's ever known? on HIATUS until further notice
1. Politik

**Hey all! This is my second writing, so still learning the ropes...**

**I am very excited about where this will go. So this is like towards the end of the story, and then it will come back to the begining. It's supposed to be confusing and weird, it's all about atmosphere and mood. :)**

**So the title of this chapter is "Politik", and amazing song by Coldplay. I recommend you listen to it while reading, it is perfect for how she is feeling. Especially the part at about 4:00 minutes. It's great tension and anger and being upset. **

**Thanks so much and enjoy!**

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As I ran down the hall, the adrenaline rush from the fear kicked in and I broke into a sprint. The pounding of my heart and my labored breathing were the only sounds around, or maybe I was just ignorant to everything around me. When I rounded the last corner and came into the courtyard, I felt the rain drops slowly hit my face as I surveyed the scene I had barged in upon. I stopped running and almost doubled over from the exertion I had caused my body. The boy I had learned to love was lying on the ground, blood covering his shirt, and another standing above him with a triumphant grin spreading on his face. My heart lurched forward, and my feet soon followed it. In slow motion, I screamed his name and began to run to him. Suddenly, I was caught from behind and held in place.

"No! Get your hands off of me! Can't you see he needs help? Let me go!" I screamed like this until my throat was sore and everything passing my lips was barely a whisper. This didn't actually take long with what condition my lungs were in from running.

A voice called out, "It's alright, let her go. She deserves to know." I broke out of my captors arms and fell besides the lying body. I placed my hands on either side of his face and slowly told myself this wasn't happening. I realized that I was speaking out loud, and I turned onto the standing figure.

"This is your fault! He didn't mean any harm, I swear. I know his past with you has been horrid and crude, but please believe me. This is not how it should have ended. Something must have gone wrong, he did not mean this. Please." I said this with growing confidence, as the figure's face turned softer by the end of my speech. By now, the tears and rain had mixed running down my cheeks, so I felt partly concealed by this mask.

The lone figure was now outlined by the twilight sky; you could only see the silhouette of the tall lanky boy. I knew him as one of the most famous wizards to ever have lived, but right now I couldn't care less. He hurt him, and for that he would pay. I stopped at that last thought and said to myself, "he never would have wanted me to think this way. Get a grip and stay focused." I looked back down at the white blond haired boy on the ground, and then back up at his attacker. I made a choice that may have been the wrong choice, but for the right reasons. As I lowered my wand, I quietly whispered, "I'm so sorry, Draco."

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**I know, I know, short. I guess it's my style to start out short and then make you wait. My bad. **

**Please R&R! Other authors out there all know how annoying it is to see that 300 people read your story and like 6 reviewed. Grr...**

**Well hope you like. Thanks! Next chapter will be up soon!**


	2. Here Comes the Sun

**Hey! Sorry it took a while to update. Lots of unhappy stuff happened. Story is (I hope) getting better. Thank you and R&R!**

**So the song for this chapter is "Here Comes the Sun" by the Beattles. **

**It kind of fits, just like she got knoced out and so she is remembering happier times...the whole shibang. It starts after the second line break. **

**Hope you enjoy! =)**

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I lowered my wand and looked down at the ground. I needed to figure a way out of this. It didn't make any sense. I thought that I had made that clear in the common room yesterday. When we planned for the break out of Draco, nothing was mentioned that Harry was going to be upset.

Harry Potter was the one who now raised his wand up at me. Anger took place as the emotion running across his face instead of compassion. Rain made his hair stick to his head and finally held the unruly locks of his in place.

"Harry, scaring her isn't the way to go. It will only make her less cooperative," called out the man who had held me back from funning to Draco. I turned my head to see that it was my old Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin. He had been, well, I guess fired, in my third year because he was a werewolf. I thought that was one of the best years we ever had.

"She needs to understand what happened. Things changed, and she wasn't told," he called out again; the voice of reason in the thunderstorm of messes.

"No!" yelled Harry. "She doesn't need to know. This is between me and Malfoy." I flinched; I knew how much he hated it when people called him that. I probably knew more about him than the so called friends of his Crabbe and Goyle.

I was brought out of my thoughts by having a wand shoved into my throat. "Ouch! Get away from me, Harry!" I stumbled backwards three steps and tripped over Draco, who was still lying on the ground. Very confused now, I look up into the pelting rain too see Harry raise his wand one more time, point it at me, and yell, "stupefy!" the last thing I see is Lupin run into my vision, then nothing.

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When I was little, I always knew that there must be bigger things in this world than going to school, then college if you were lucky, and then to work for the rest of your life. This was so true I could have been a prophecy writer for myself.

The first day I met our neighborhood boy, I was about seven. He was on the swing set and took the middle swing, which everyone knew was the best. I walked up to the back of him and said, "Hi, my name is Annabelle, I was wondering if I could use that swing."

I think that day I was wearing a red and white striped shirt under my littler overalls. With my wild brown hair tamed and pulled back into two identical pig tails, I must say I looked adorable. I had dirt on my knees, although I always did, and a little on my hands. All I could see of the kid on the swings was his white blond hair and his black turtle neck shirt. He was still swinging gently, more of just going with the wind. He seemed sad, so I decided he needed that swing more than I did and sat next to him. He turned to me then and said, "Hi, I'm Draco. Draco Malfoy." He had gorgeous grey eyes that were like a storm cloud. I remembered seeing those same colors over the ocean at Christmas time when I went to the beach with my family.

He jumped down from the swing, but just stood there in front of me. I tilted my head and asked, "Which house is yours?" He pointed to the mansion down the street. High gates surrounded the outside, and an ominous figure was carved into the front opening part with a family crest. I quickly glanced back to my little home, with the small white picket fence and large flower bed, hoping he wouldn't ask me the same question. My house was four houses away, and this was close enough to be friends. I was positive.

He picked up a rock and threw it into the lake that resided near the playground. We watched it skip across for five bounces, and then drop under. I asked him more questions, like his favorite color, his favorite food, what he did on the weekends. Little kid talk. I found out that he was the same age as me, his favorite color was green, his favorite food was macaroni and cheese, and on the weekends he traveled with his family.

We sat swinging and throwing rocks for hours. At the time, I thought we were already the best of friends. At that age, you can't really gage things on real emotions.

After a while, he still looked upset, so I asked just one more question. "Why are you so sad? We should be playing tag now." The corners of his mouth lifted into a gentle smile, but he continued to look at the ground ahead of him and not me. He seemed like he wasn't really sure, and that he had to come up with an answer before responding. "It's my dad. I keep letting him down, and I don't know why." He looked up at me as if to ask for an answer, but I was too young to understand how important this was to him. Disappointment, responsibility, and frustration were all far beyond what I could feel yet. Confusion, though, I could.

Very confused and questionable, I said, "Why don't you just tell him you love him? I tell my daddy that all the time, and he isn't dip-a-point-end with me." I beamed. I tried my big words on Draco and he smiled. Oblivious to the fact that he didn't really act like a creature with loving parents, I thought that this would solve everything. He left the park that day looking a little cheerier, but I missed him in days to come.

As the summer days ended, it started to cool off and become rainy. I never really saw Draco again that summer, but I looked for him at the park. I wanted to find out about his dad, I was curious. My mum said that I told him the right thing, so I hoped it had worked.

The next time I saw the boy was one morning in late October. He was in the park again, but this time he looked like he needed to be alone. I watched him cry on the swings from my tree across the street. Later that day I made cookies that had "I'm sorry" written on them. I didn't talk to him for two years after that.

By that time we were nine. Steadily growing and constantly changing, we crossed paths. As soon as I saw him, I was infatuated. His hair hadn't lost that white blond sheen like so many boy's had. And he had just gotten cuter over the years. But there was still that element of sadness etched into his features. I always had thought back to our first, and well, only, conversation. Just the way he was upset makes me mad now. And all because of his father.

I was sitting in my tree house after my cat had to be put down. It was pouring rain and freezing, but I didn't care. It never bothered me when it rained. Crying, I heard the sound of someone climbing up my ladder. I just figured it was my mum or something, but then the blond hair appeared and I was filled with mixed emotions. Grief for my cat, anger at the world, and that childish first feeling of love. When he reached the top, he came and sat next to me.

"I am sorry about your cat." He said plainly enough. "I saw her running around my house sometimes, and she was fun to watch try and catch the birds," this came with a weak smile.

The thought made me smile; my cat thought she was just a small tiger in a cat's body. Draco moved closer to me and just let his arm rest around my back. I leaned into him so that my head could rest on his shoulder. It felt nice to just have an understanding embrace; even from Draco.

After that, we were almost inseparable. We would play in the park all day and then talk in my tree house until dark. Sometimes, his father would come and yell at him. If this happened, I wouldn't see him for a few days after.

Around the summer before we were turning eleven though, something happened that I will never forget. My mother had called that she had made cookies for us and that we could eat them. Draco climbed down my ladder and waited while I grabbed the blanket we had brought up to sit on. As I started down, I lost my footing and started to fall. Still five or six feet up; I knew that I would break my arm if I landed too hard, but I threw out my hands anyways. About two feet from the ground, I stopped falling. I was just suspended in mid air; floating. With awe painted across my face, I looked up at Draco who had the same thing written on his face.

As it turns out, I had a good amount of magic that flowed through my veins. Draco explained to me all about magic and wizards and the school he was planning on attending. At first I thought that this was rubbish; but then I noticed other things that I could do without touching things. Towards the end of the summer, I got the letter. It invited me to join others of my kind at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I was so excited that I could do something by myself!

At first, my parents were against it. But Draco had his mum and dad come talk to mine and explain the benefits of having a witch in the family, (although they looked pretty set against me going, too). I heard them talking about "bad blood" or something. Draco never told me what they were talking about.

So I went to Diagon Alley and bought the necessary items for a first year witch. Wand, cauldron, robes, books, and a moon-faced barn owl named Blinky. When I first saw him, he just blinked his big eyes at me. I thought he was gorgeous.

Along rolled the first of September and I found myself on the platform of nine and ten. The letter said nine and three quarters, but I thought that crazy. I found someone who worked there and asked him.

"Blimey! We still have them nutters sendin' kids about this 'nine-an'-three-quarters' business. The next one '-oo asks will be sent straight to the crazy house, mark my words." And wandered off shaking his head.

Well, this is bound to turn into one strange year, I thought. The first person I meet is thinking that I am crazy. I guess it can only go up from here!

How wrong I was indeed.

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	3. Fifteen

**Yay! I finally got home so that I could update. Sorry it took so long!**

**Song is Fifteen by Taylor Swift. Like the whole going to a new school thing. **

**Enjoy! R&R!**

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I met many people on the train to Hogwarts. After I found it, that is. Finally another family helped me onto the platform without thinking I was crazy.

I sat next to a girl my age with similar hair and big brown eyes. I didn't say anything about them, but her front teeth were rather large. A plump boy who had this slimy toad with him; Trevor, he kept calling it was sitting across the compartment. They were very nice, until the lady came with the trolley and Trevor escaped; Hermione and Neville both went to look for him in other carts. I stayed and looked in our compartment.

No sooner than had they left when our door swung open once more, and a voice called out, "Lost something, Hall?"

I looked up to see my old friend Draco standing over me in the doorway. He smiled and held out a hand to lift me up. I took it, and realized that we were the same height.

He notices me eyeing his head and says, "It's only because of your hair." He flattens it out, and surprise surprise, he is right. I still stand two inches shorter.

I sit down and invite him to do the same. "I can only stay for a minute; Crabbe and Goyle are looking for me."

I don't know why, but something about the way he said this bothers me. Who are Crabbe and Goyle? I have never heard of them. But then I realize that I was just thrown into this mess. He has been involved for years.

"So, there are four houses at Hogwarts. I suspect that I'm headed for Slytherin, but I don't really know about you. The other three are Gryfindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. If you get into Gryfindor, that would be tragic. That would mean we would be enemies. Stupid bravery, nerve, and chivalry." He said this last part in a high pitched voice as if making fun of it. I didn't understand what was so bad about all of those things; they sounded good to me.

"Then," he continued," there's Hufflepuff. This wouldn't be that bad, but try not to. They are known for their hard-work, loyalty, and tolerance. This isn't actually that bad. Until you look at their stupid colors. And lord, don't get me started on Ravenclaw." The look he gave me basically said it; don't get into Ravenclaw.

"Haha, very funny. I will get into what I do, so you better still talk to me." The thought of going into a new school without any friends was so horrible my stomach clenched into a knot in anticipation of his response.

"Oh, very well. Just don't become friends with that Potter boy, he's bad trouble." He told me about how Harry had just gotten famous because of his parents being killed.

The thought that an eleven year old boy didn't have any parents was an awful one that I tried not to linger on too long. His parents were killed by magic; something I didn't know you could do.

At that moment, I realized just how ignorant about the whole magic world I was. I didn't even know how to find the Hogwarts Express without the help of that nice red head family. Hermione was also in my situation, but I think she read all about how it works and stuff. I suddenly felt very odd and out of place.

Draco stood to go, and I watched him leave with a twinge of regret. I wish I had something to say that would make him stay. Me and my stupid infatuation with him. I can't help it though, it's his hair and eyes.

He popped his head into the compartment one more time and said, "Don't worry, I know you will be good." I smiled and waved him on. He seemed a bit changed by the atmosphere of other witches and wizards.

Eventually, Neville found his toad and Hermione found me. We walked up to a huge black lake with a group of other first years lead by a giant man named Hagrid. They seemed to be pulled by some force towards a looming figure up ahead. As we got closer, a boy in my boat, Dean Thomas, almost stood up with excitement when Hagrid pointed out that lying ahead was Hogwarts.

We laughed as he tried to steady the boat again, for he had thrown off the balance. The atmosphere of the grounds held power, and something I can't describe fully. Like hope and happiness and static all rolled up into one. I let the feeling fill me up and held it within me as we exited the boats and began our trek up to the castle. We chattered away about what we thought we would find behind the solid wooden doors. Hermione broke into our fantasies with, "No. the ceiling is enchanted to look like the night sky and there are four tables; one for each house. I read about it in _Hogwarts, A History."_

We all exchanged looks behind Hermione's back; I knew she was a nice girl, but sometimes too smart. I only looked at that book as I packed it. Maybe I should get more of m reading done.

As soon as we entered the great hall, all of my doubts were whipped away. Beautifully decorated with all sorts of golden pates, green, red, yellow, and blue banners that hung gracefully from the ceiling, and the students who made it real. _I am not alone_, I thought with a surge of affection towards everyone seated in the room.

The first years shuffled nervously towards the farthest end of the hall. There, at the very end, was a hat. I must admit that when I first saw it, I was disappointed. Why would someone leave that lying around? It looked dusty and old. But then I saw the man standing next to the hat and thought, now he is old. Professor McGonagall led us up to the hat and then explained how it would sort us.

Many names were called before mine was read off the list. "Hall, Annabelle." I walked nervously up to the stool and sat down. The weight of the hat rested on my head, and I could hear it mumbling; "Good with Charms, and Herbology, a good sense of right and wrong, so you must be, HUFFLEPUFF!!!"

It roared the last line, and the table with the yellow and black colors stood up and cheered as I made my way over to them. As I went by a familiar blond head, he leaned over and whispered, "Ok I guess. Try harder next time. You had a choice." I was outraged by what he said. Try harder? Better luck next time? He said this like I lost a race, no determining about where I would reside for the next seven years of my life. I walked straight ahead without looking back at him. I sat down next to a boy with shaggy black hair whose name was Jack. He had a lopsided grin and a wit that kept everyone laughing. He was in my year, and I hoped that we could become better friends.

Draco was sorted into Slytherin, big shock there, and Hermione, Neville, and Harry Potter were all in Gryfindor. I felt like I was being left out of a good joke when I looked up and saw the first year Gryfindor's already acting like pals. It didn't seem fair that they were all in the same house. Jack had just made a comment about Snape's nose, the potion teacher, and how it came up out of his goblet dripping slightly with pumpkin juice. Dumbledore, the headmaster, stood and gave a short speech, and then miles of food appeared before us. We dug in heartily and laughed and got to know who we were housing with. My house ended being just perfect. I loved every moment of that first night.

After the feast, we were herded back into our common rooms. In my room there was Hannah Abbot, Lucy Stand, Meghan Thymeston, Dannie Juneau, and me. We stayed up laughing and throwing pillows and gossiping. It was one of the best nights in my life.

For once, I felt wanted.

For once, I felt accepted.

And for once in my life, I felt truly home.

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**Hmmm...I wasn't super pleased with how short this was. It felt kind of rushed, but I think it's better than if I had skipped around. R&R!**


	4. Show Me What I'm Looking For

**Hey! So this chapter is a great song by Carolina Liar. **

**Alright, so the fact that I have 200 hits to my story and 6 reviews bothers me. Does it suck? Is it really good? I have no idea. Please R&R!**

**P.S.- I wont be updating until I have 15 reviews. Not too bad! Thanks!**

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The black veil of unconsciousness had fallen on eyes, but I could vaguely hear two low voices arguing. It was clear that they were trying to be whispering, but the conversation had gotten out of hand and they were almost yelling. My head was pounding from the force of hitting the ground; and it was then that my memories came back.

I groaned inwardly and thought about what to do in a situation like this. It's not like they teach you about what to do when the good guys find you with the (somewhat) bad guys and associated the two of you together before you have a chance to explain. I decided to listen to the men arguing.

"She obviously was trying to protect him; they have become good friends over the years and you know her nature, she always wants peace and everyone to get along." This came from an older man; his voice somehow sounded tired and about ready to stop fighting.

"Well if she wants peace, I would hate to tell her what has broken out because of her so called friend!" now this was a voice I recognized. I had been going to school with him for six years; it was none other than Harry Potter.

The first voice also sounded familiar, but I had not heard it for some time. But then I remembered who had been holding me captive in the courtyard and realized that it must be Professor Lupin.

"You can't blame everything on your hatred Harry, we don't know who or what has been forcing Malfoy to act in this manner. He may have been forced to act out; not as a result of his nature." Lupin replied. I was glad to have him on my side; better him than Harry.

"No! I know he did this on his own accord. Snape was in it with him. I heard them talking, Professor, I really did."

Lupin let out a sigh that abounded like they had reached this point many times and was sick of arguing about it. "Harry, come with me and we will find out why this has happened tonight."

I groaned, out loud this time, and rolled my head over to try and evaluate my situation. They were still arguing and didn't hear me, so I opened my eyes. I found myself in a dusty room on the floor. There was a ratty couch in a corner and a coffee table in front of it. I looked the other way and saw that the room was only closed on three sides and didn't have a wall with a door. **(Author's note: what I'm trying to describe here is like an alcove, or like a large nook. It just doesn't have the fourth wall that would normally lead into a hallway.) **Lying on the couch was a body and I thought it was dead at first, but then it let out a shuddering breath, and I recognized him as Draco. The two arguing voices had drifted away, so I figured it would be safe to get up and look around.

I stood with difficulty, for I felt as though I had been slammed against a wall. I looked down at my hands to find that they were scratched and slightly bloody; and I sincerely hoped it was my blood. Walking over to Draco, I almost tripped on the coffee table and muttered, "Stupid table."

A voice called out behind me, "No, I think that in this case, you, dear girl, would be the stupid one."

Turning around, I felt myself become greatly annoyed. Could I just try and do one thing and not get caught?

But when I turned, I didn't find anyone I expected to. A smile broke out on my cracked lips, and I quietly called out, "So you followed me here?"

"Ya, I figured you could use some help, especially since you were unconscious and being dragged by magic." My best friends replied. Jack always knew how to brighten a situation. His wit had helped me get through some tough spots these past years.

"_Well,_" I thought, "_that explains the scraped hands."_

Jack took a look at Malfoy lying on the couch and reasoned that he had been cursed as well. He explained that he heard me yelling from the courtyard ("Although I'm surprised no one else heard you. You have a strong pair of lungs on you.") Following us from the school down to the Whomping Willow, he saw us enter by some tunnel and tried to follow us. Lupin and Harry were magically carrying Draco and me through the tree and into a hole. It ended up leading us into the Shrieking Shack that had been used as a hideout in third year by Harry and his gang.

This time though, they didn't know that it was three, well, if we could bring Draco around, against two. I hoped that even a small advantage could gain us some answers.

Thinking about Draco, I remembered the cuts that were on him when I last saw him. As I walked over to him, I saw that his shirt was sloppily buttoned back together and one button off. His shirt was still caked slightly in his blood and I hoped he would make it. But when I opened his shirt, I saw that he had already been healed. There were small traces of him being injured, just bruises and small scrapes,and I let out a breath that I never realized I had been holding in.

His eyes were moving under his lids which gave the impression he was dreaming. I asked Jack whether he thought we should leave him and confront Lupin and Harry on our own, but he said to wake Draco first and then all of us go together. I lightly shook his shoulder, and he woke with a jolt. His hands immediately went to his chest trying to find where he had been injured before. "Impossible," he murmured. "This can't be happening."

He then realized he wasn't alone, and when he looked at me and Jack he jumped a bit. Hastily buttoning up his shirt again, he asked, "Where are we? I take it this isn't Hogwarts." His voice didn't have much emotion, but was almost unstable.

"The Shrieking Shack." Jack jumped in before I could answer. His gaze was intently focused on Draco, as if he was suddenly going to jump up and hurt us.

"Draco," I spoke up, "are you ok? Those cuts were healed by magic, but I'm not sure they're all gone." Not really meaning to, I put a hand on his chest. He sucked in a breath of air, but made no move to change the position of my hand. Jack looked around awkwardly, and then announced, "Uh, I think I'm going to find the Professor." He walked back out into the hall cautiously and turned the corner, his footsteps echoing down the hall.

Draco placed his hand on top of mine and smiled with pain down at me. "You came. I thought I was going to be lost." I knew this was one of those rare moments where he would let his guard down, so I took advantage of it.

"Draco, we're in trouble. You were attacked by Harry Potter and I followed you. He took us down to the Shrieking Shack, which is where we are now. Jack is here, but we're not really sure how to get out. Professor Lupin is here, with Potter, and-"

He held up his hand to stop me from rambling. I had a tendency to do that when I get nervous. I took a deep breath and looked back up at him. His face was a mask of pain, anger, and a few other emotions I couldn't name.

When he finally spoke, his voice has hard and restrained. "So you saw me being attacked, then yourself became attacked, woke up to find me here, and had your friend come bail us out?"

As he spoke, I realized how stupid this must sound to him, but on the other hand, my temper was flaring up inside of me. Yes, I followed him down to the courtyard, yes I was attacked, _for him_, I thought.

"I thought I told you to stay out of this, it's my battle and I can handle myself without you running in to save the day." His volume had risen back up now, and he was starting to sit up.

"Yes, I can see that you can handle yourself. As I remember it, I came down to the courtyard and you were being attacked and were covered in blood!" I retorted. I found myself standing up so that I could glare down at him. He now was sitting, but couldn't move to stand for his ribs.

"I was fine! I put myself out there to-"

"Fine?! I don't seem to recall THIS being FINE!" I leaned down and ripped open his shirt to reveal some remaining marks that I hadn't seen before. I stumbled backwards and tripped over the corner of the table. As I sat on the ground, I whispered, "Draco, I'm so sorry..."

There were angry red swellings in crisscross motions covering the lower part of his torso. Some were still bleeding, and I realized I had only made it worse. I tried to look away, but I couldn't; someone had hurt him, I had hurt him, what had I done? Draco was right; I am just a meddling, stupid girl. As soon as I registered that I was staring at blood, my vision started to flicker and swim. _No! _I thought angrily. _Stay here, this is im, impor,-"_

And with that, I passed out.

_I will need to get over that._

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	5. The Climb

**Hey all! I made a playlist to go with the songs, so you just have to go to my profile and click on the link under Song Site. I will update it along with new chapters. Thanks and review!**

**I found this song by a guy, and I LOVE his version, so don't listen to Miley Cyrus. Check out the song site!**

Draco POV:

As she fell onto the dusty floor, he remembered that she fainted at the sight of blood. This was something he should have remembered. Last year, when they had Herbology together, she had been bitten by a something-that-he-never-remembered plant and passed out in class. She had to be rushed up to the hospital wing from lack of blood; for no one had realized that she was hurt until Hannah Abbott nearly tripped over her. That had been a close day.

Muttering things about not needing to be rescued, he buttoned up his shirt, but not before seeing just how bad the cuts across his stomach truly were. Annabelle had been right; the scratches might scar. Nothing he wouldn't be able to heal soon. For now, he had bigger things to worry about. Like what the hell Anna had been talking about. She had a tendency for rambling, but that was only when she became really nervous. Or something was wrong, like them being in serious trouble.

Evaluating his situation, he could hear two voices down the hall and rapidly approaching footsteps. Looking up, Draco saw Anna's best friend Jack enter the room, take one glance at her, and say, "Ok Draco. We know she likes you, so you must have really moved in on her to make her faint."

As he felt a flush begin to creep up his neck, he answered, "I didn't do anything, she just saw some blood, and, well, you know-" he hated it when people assumed he had done something. It's not _always_ his fault. Just when he wants it to be.

Jack had about zero respect for Draco. He was sly, a ladies' man, and had broken Annie's poor heart more times than he could count. The rumors that sometimes flew about this guy were bad; ranging from he stole from people to undressing countless girls in his dorm. But, like with any rumor, you couldn't count it true unless it came from the source. H never wanted to believe the one about the girls. It was too cruel.

They continued to stare at each other until the emotions in the room calmed down. Tempers were flying a bit high, although neither was the kind of person to just sit there and yell. That was Anna's roll in the strange triangle.

"Well," admitted Jack as he scratched the back of his neck with one hand, "it looks like we have to move her, and be careful about it." But as Draco made a move to help her up, he blocked him. "Maybe I should do it. I mean your bleeding and all." He felt protective over her; she was his best friend and was like a second sister.

"Whatever." Draco muttered and walked out into the hall. Following the voices, he saw his old Professor, Lupin, and Harry come into view. It looked like the younger of the two was planning to leave, but Draco caught up with him and grabbed his sleeve.

"What the hell, Potter. You attack me out of nowhere. I was going somewhere, and not even The Boy Who Lived could have-"

"Oi! Stupid git! The topic? Stick to it. There is actually a war breaking out, if you haven't noticed."Jack yelled from down the hall. He could vaguely see the Draco had his wand out and pointed at Harry's nose, which was generally a bad sign.

Harry stared straight down the wand at Malfoy, and looking extremely mad. Lupin started to intervene, but Harry said, "No. He has a chance to know." Malfoy at once lowered his wand and took a step backwards. "Know what, Potter? I know things that would make your perfect hair curl, I am in plans. Plans that are _going _somewhere!"

"Oh, little Draco thinks that his plans are actually what Voldemort thinks about? Well your wrong!" Bellowed Harry. He was so sick of Draco, but so curious to find out what his plans were. All this year he had been following his name on the map, hoping, praying, to find where he was going. To the point of losing sleep over the thought. To the point of, well, obsession.

Draco reacted to this. His wand was back in the air almost immediately, and by then Harry had his out, too. The two stood there, breathing heavy, and neither willing to break their fight.

Lupin finally stepped in and ordered them to both put their wands down. By this time, Jack had realized he couldn't drag Anna all the way down the hall, so he was trying to lift her with magic, but he wasn't the expert in charms as she was.

After the two boys had lowered their wands, Annabelle was brought in by Lupin and set on the couch. Then, the moment Harry had been waiting for, Lupin had convinced Draco to exploit his plan to them. He told them with much resistance, but as they explained, it had to be done.

"No! If you want to know so badly, have him tell you himself." Draco was still struggling. All they had managed to learn was that Voldemort had given him an assignment, and if he failed that, his family would pay. But after a moment, he finally broke. "Ok! Ok, I'll tell you."

And he did. The plan to murder Dumbledore had gone wrong, he didn't want to do it, and he never had. But telling the Dark Lord no was almost always a death wish. Harry wasn't taking listening to the plan very well, and many times he had to get up and walk around the room to hide the fact that he was restraining tears. The death of the headmaster had affected nearly everyone. Some, like Harry, more than others. People say that they were particularly close friends and he was even with Dumbledore when he was killed.

When Draco was finally done telling his plan, Lupin was shocked, Harry was still holding in tears, Jack was stunned beyond belief, and Anna was starting to wake. Lupin turned to Harry and told him to head back up to the castle, he was needed at the hospital wing to be with his friends. He shook Jack's and Lupin's hands, gave Draco a stiff nod, then headed out into the dark of night under his Invisibility Cloak.

Draco turned to Lupin, and asked out of all honesty, "What can I do? I never wanted to drag anyone down in this situation."

After much contemplation, Lupin came up with a solution. The Order was going to have someone watch out for his mother, who just wanted their family to be safe. His father was better off not knowing this plan, with him being so deep in Death Eaters. Draco, on the other hand, was probably the one most a danger. He had nowhere to go that could be safe while in the presence of a Death Eater. While they were thinking about where he could go, Annabelle propped herself up unto her elbows and said, "Well, he can go with me. We will run through the summer. It will have to work, Professor, it's the only way."

Immediately, there were shouts of protest. Jack said it was stupid to waste their time on Draco, Draco said he wouldn't put her in danger, but Lupin said that it just might have to work.

"But where would you go?" he wondered out loud.

"Well," she offered, "my aunt lives over in America, a small town called Carmel. We could go there for the summer and then come back. It would be safe enough to keep a low cover. No one over there watches for anything unusual, it's just kind of a given."

It was at that moment that Draco recovered with his voice. His protests fell on deaf ears, however, because the former professor thought it was as good a plan as any, and Annabelle felt success and wanted him to be safe. There was nothing she wouldn't do for him. He meant almost the whole world to her, but she knew that at such a young age it could lead to disaster and broken hearts. It was like her mother had always told her, about men in general, that they don't always show their true feelings, so you must stand up for what you think would be in your heart's best interest.

Jack was not happy with the arrangements. "But, what if your caught? Will your aunt really allow two underage wizards into the house? Does she know about magic?" he protested.

"Well," Annabelle faltered. "No. She doesn't know anything about magic, but I would rather keep it that way. Although, I don't know how she will take to us just showing up on her doorstep, I mean, what do you expect when two teen show up..." unable to finish because of her embarrassment, the men in the room realized that she was just worried about her pride, and how to face her aunt with the task at hand.

"It's just until the end of summer, right? And then you will return back to Hogwarts?" Jack asked. He was worried. This didn't sound right to him.

"I hope so. There isn't a safer place that I can think of if you are pursuing this course of action, Draco." Lupin mused. "I mean, with Dumbledore...g-g-gone, there won't really _be_ a safe place, so this is the best I can do."

"Thank you, professor. I will never forget this." Annabelle said and shook his hand.

"Please, call me Remus." And she smile at him.

"Umm...Anna? Can I talk you for a moment?" Jack called from across the room. She had almost forgotten he was there. She nodded and followed him down the hall, back to the alcove where she had first awoken.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You don't have to, you know. My house is always an option. And why do you have to take him? He has never been anything but mean to you."

Sighing deeply, Anna thought for a moment before answering. _He has a point, you know_, said an annoying voice in the back of her head. _No,_ she thought, _he is just a misunderstood human being_. _Everyone deserves a second chance._

"Of course I don't _want_ to do this, Jack, but I _have_ to. He isn't bad at all, just, confused. He has been nice to me. Of course he has." She battled for her friend. Anna knew that he hadn't really been nice to her at all, but didn't want to come off as the weak opponent.

Jack ran a hand through his hair and tried to restrain from shaking her. All she ever thinks about is that stupid...no. not here. Think of something else. Like how cute she looks when she is angry. Like how much you'll miss her. Like the fact that she loves _him, _not_ you._

Like how you are going to learn to deal with this.

But Anna spoke before he could say anything. "Is that it? Because I need to stop by my house first."

He nodded, but reluctantly and wished her luck. She turned to go into the other room, but he caught her by the sleeve and pulled her into a giant hug. She laughed into his chest, but then they turned into sobs. The full weight of what she was doing had hit her; leaving for three months, her friends, her school, and everyone who cared about her.

They broke apart, and he lost his grip on her arm.

"Jack, I'll be fine. Just overreacting." She tried to cover for her tears.

But he knew otherwise. She wasn't really one to overreact. Mostly level headed, with a fiery hot temper to balance her out. It seems that it had gotten her in trouble on more than one occasion, but he loved how passionate she was about life. How she just gave it her all, no matter what.

Anna walked into the bigger room and joined Draco and Remus. Jack said he wanted to wait in the hall for a moment, so she left him there. The dusty chairs that Remus had assembled were organized in a small circle, with the one left empty for Jack. The older man looked up at her when she entered the room and asked, "Now, are you sure you want to do this? It could prove to be very dangerous for the two of you. It's not easy to switch sides."

"Yes," she answered quickly, "of course I do. I know what I'm taking on, but it will only be for three months, maybe less."

Shaking his head softly, Lupin said, "Ok. Alright, well you two better be off."

Draco was still slightly angry at Anna, but only because this situation made him sound weak, and there was nothing he hated more than appearing to be weak.

Anna grabbed his hand, pulled out her wand, and thanked Lupin.

"We couldn't have thought of this without you. We would still be stuck. If there is anything we can ever do, please, don't hesitate." She added as a last word.

Brushing aside the compliment, slightly embarrassed, with the back of his hand, he said, "Don't worry about it. I will write every once in a while to let you know when it is safe. Now be off. And be careful. This young lady has done more for you than you will ever know."

Draco nodded, almost a pink color in his face, and turned to Annabelle who held out her arm. Since he didn't know where her aunt's house was, he would be Side-Along Apparating.

At the last moment before he grabbed her arm, Jack's face flashed into view as he entered the room to say good-bye. But before she could react, the pair was sucked into the tunnel of travel, it pulling and pushing everywhere on her body. Just as fast, it stopped.

"Well Draco," she introduced, "welcome to Carmel." And they walked into the night.


	6. Year OneTurpentine

**Hey all! So before I start, I would like to thank xxkpxx and operaghost17, my two faithful supporters.**

**Ok, so I would HIGHLY recommend to all of you to watch A Very Potter Musical. It is possibly the best thing ever. I adore it. And I am sorry if there are a bunch of typos in this, I have been working on it, but my brain goes faster than my fingers, lol, and I type a bunch of weird stuff. Also, sorry if the tense changes, but it gets confusing and lots of other junk gets in there, so it kinda derails.**

**So, without further ado, I give you, chapter six!**

**Thanks!**

**(Song is Turpentine by Brandi Carlile)**

So, to continue on with my story, you must know more of my past. We will now go back to my very first year at Hogwarts. This was a year filled with excitement, friendship, and many, many tests.

Once we had been sorted, we stayed the night in our common rooms. The Hufflepuff Dormitories and Common room are accessed through a painting near the kitchens. It is a quite cozy and welcoming place; not at all like a dungeon. The room is filled with yellow hangings and fat armchairs, with little underground tunnels that lead up to the dormitories, which have round barrel-top like doors. In my room were Hannah Abbot, Lucy Stand, Meghan Thymeston, Dannie Juneau, and me. Meghan and I became particularly close and stayed the best of friends throughout our years at Hogwarts. She was a Muggle Born too, and had brains that challenged even Hermione Granger. The other girls were nice, but I didn't hit it off with them the way me and Meghan did.

The first morning of class, we were both so excited for magic that we went down to the Great Hall an hour before breakfast was to be served and just waited patiently. We were both eternally shocked when Dumbledore walked through the door and started walking down the aisle with Professor Sprout. We both just stared as they walked by.

When Dumbledore saw us, he leaned into Professor Sprout and said not quietly at all, "I take it these are yours, Pomona?" She laughed and nodded. "Hufflepuff; always eager to get up and learn."

We just stared after them as they continued walking up the rows of tables. Meghan turned to me and whispered, "We just saw the headmaster! He talked to us!"

"I know! I can't believe it! Wow, and on our first day, too." I responded. The doors opened up again and in walked the bane of my existence: Draco Malfoy.

At this point in my life, I had gotten over the majority of my obsession with him, but every time I saw him it made me want to leave. I got the impression he never even knew that I almost loved him.

I sighed, and Meghan thought it was the fact that he was so dreamy that I did. She voiced her thoughts, and I said, "No, I've known him for a while. But he never talks to me." And as he had heard me and was ever trying to prove me wrong, he waved, smiled and walked over. A totally un-Draco like thing to do.

He sat down across the table from us, and said, "Hi. I thought you weren't going to say hello to me. Seeing as we are the only three people in here." Ah hah. So, it was the fact that we were the only ones here that he came over to visit. I may only be eleven, but I wasn't stupid.

His eyes shone brightly in the morning sun that flowed in through the windows like softly falling petals. It made his hair an even lighter shade of blond than it already was. This, in turn, made him seem more gorgeous than he already was. For an eleven year old, of course. He chatted with us for a few more moments, but as soon as the Great Hall doors opened, he jumped up as if he had been stuck with a hot iron. In walked a small black haired girl with two overly large boys who were staring at her adorningly. But as soon as Draco shot them a look, the dropped the act and pretended not to even see her. She looked crestfallen, but continued walking towards Draco anyways. As soon as they came nearer, we could see that they were all Slytherins.

"Ladies," Draco started, and Meghan giggled while I rolled my eyes, "I would like to introduce Crabbe and Goyle." They grunted their hellos, and Meghan waved.

"Umm...aren't you forgetting someone, Draco?" I hinted. He looked at me with anger in his eyes, and said very pointedly, "No. I introduced everyone here worth knowing." I had a growing sense of pity towards this girl, for her eyes were starting to fill with tears and she was trying very hard to cover that up. I wondered what the girl had done wrong to get into his bad books.

She turned and walked away, and I thought about how horrible it would have been to start my day with Draco Malfoy ignoring me. So I voiced the unsaid, and asked who she was, filling my voice with as much sugar as I could muster.

Draco turned slowly, and his grey eyes were filled with annoyance. "Oh. That? Pansy Parkinson. She tried to get me to kiss her last night and I said I never wanted to speak to her again." He added on, "Our families have been friends for forever, and half expect us to get married." Just for my look of confusion. He was giving us a profile view of his body as he watched Pansy half walk half run out the doors of the Great Hall. He had his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. It was sickening to watch him get pleasure from hurting someone.

Soon, the Great Hall was filled with the excited buzz from the first day of school. We received our class schedule, and I had Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Flying, and History of Magic. I was so excited when I checked with Meghan and found we had exactly the same schedule! But then I found out that it was the same with everyone from Hufflepuff in my year. We were all assigned the same. Oh. Well, at least I was with people I like. I smiled broadly the whole way to Charms, knowing that my wand was especially good at them; Mr. Ollivander had told me himself that I would excel in that area. I held a light fifteen inch, vine carved wand with an essence of Dragon Heartstring in the core. I loved the feeling of it in my hand, and I hadn't tried any magic yet, but I could tell it would be brilliant.

I sat down in class, and expected to get a course syllabus, or something explaining what we would be doing this year, for that's what we got back at my elementary school. I asked the boy next to me, the boy from dinner last night, Jack, and he only laughed. Not rudely, but enough to make my blood boil slightly. "You're at Hogwarts. What's there to learn? Magic. Right. That's what this class teaches." Was his only response. When he turned back to the front of the class, my wand seemed to act of its own accord, and in my fit of rage, I pointed it at the back of his head. At first, it seemed like nothing had happened.

But then he hiccupped.

And he hiccupped again.

And again, But instead of just being an annoying case of hiccups, something came out of his mouth every time he jumped. Bubbles were emitting out of his mouth. I gave one hard laugh and tried to cover it with my hand, but by then many heads had turned and jaws were dropping. Professor Flitwick finally turned his attention to the human soap dispenser and asked, "Umm...yes. Jack? What, exactly, are you doing?"

Jack tried answering, but his mouth was full of popping noises. He had a look of loathing on his face and tried several times to convey that his present situation was not of his own doing. The entire class was rolling in their seats with laughter and Flitwick was trying to restore order. It seemed we wouldn't be doing anything today but laughing, so I volunteered to take Jack to the hospital wing to get an antidote. The Professor dismissed the pair of us with a flick of his hand, and I grabbed Jack's arm; not to stabilize him, but myself, for he was so angry that there seemed to be a never ending stream of foam coming out of his mouth.

As soon as we got out into the hall, I let go of him and fell over, rolling with laughter. He finally managed to say something, and it sounded like, "Foh Uned."

This, of course, set me to the point of tears, and I said, "Oh, oh please stop! If I don't look at you I can walk you up, but just say anything. It's t-t-oo much!" He stood over me tapping his foot and his hands on his hips in repulsion.

After a minute or two, I finally got myself settled down and under control; and was able to walk him the whole length of the castle to the Hospital Wing. When we got there, a small wiry woman took one look at us and said, "Dueling on the first day? I can't believe Dumbledore would permit something like this so soon." We, well, I at least, corrected her and when she took a better look at Jack, she grabbed one bottle off a tray with a assortment of colorful and many shaped glass jars and told him to take one drink every ten minutes and he should stop hiccupping within an hour.

By the time we exited the Hospital, class was over and students were mingling around in the halls. Jack did his best to keep his head down when he felt the urge to hiccup, but they soon died down to no more than one or two a minute. He asked me where our next class was, and we had Transfiguration.

He said goodbye to me at the door as we found our seats across the class from each other, and for the rest of the year we were good friends. He helped me in my Transformation homework, which I was atrocious at, and in return I helped him with Charms, in which like I predicted, I excelled at.

My only problem was that we shared History of Magic with the Slytherins. Most of them were nice enough to us, but some were biased that we were Hufflepuffs; always eager to be annoying, as they called us. Some even made up jokes about us being; "Particularly good finders," but no one really knew where that reference came from. Anyways, my seat partner was none other than Draco Malfoy, ugh. That boy had driven me up the wall on numerous occasions now. I couldn't stand trying to talk to him about when the goblin wars started or how many giants there were three hundred years ago. Truth be told, I still harbored feelings for him and couldn't get over them. Even when I saw him try and flirt with other girls I would just tell myself that he was trying to make me jealous, even when I truly knew he wasn't. It was just sometimes easier to cope with reality if I threw in a bit of lies.

One day that particularly stands out in my mind is the day we first had an assignment that we could use the library for. This was about halfway through the year and people were starting to get nervous about exams, which weren't even close.

I was trying to find a book that would tell us about when the giant wars started while Draco lounged in a chair; feet propped up on the table in front of him and the chair balancing on two legs. He was trying to annoy me by asking stupid questions and trying to get me to snap. He knew I had a nasty temper and would not cool down easily when I got fired up. He asked me how many times I had come down to the library and then laughed when the answer was about four times a week. He asked if I could 'find' a book on lions and mars, and then laughed at my confused expression. Finally, he sang that song, "I Know a Song That Gets on Everybody's Nerves", **(Haha I know that song will be stuck in your head for the next hour. Sorry.),** so loudly so that the librarian came over and told him to shut it or she would magically glue his lips together.

He, thank God, finally shut up after that. And we got our work done early, so he asked me to go to lunch with him.

"Together?" I asked dumbfounded. He rolled his eyes and said of course. I stared for a few second and then agreed.

We talked all the way down to the Great Hall and entered together. I looked at him with my eyebrows raised as he just picked up a plate, grabbed some food and headed back out the doors. I followed at his heels all the way down to the lake. We sat by the big tree with the leafs that brushed the surface of the lake with superior grace and beauty. The soft breeze ruffled my hair and covered my blush as I sat down next to Draco.

I fidgeted nervously for a few minutes as we sat in silence. Stealing a glance over at him, I saw that he looked calm and collected, eating his turkey sandwich.

We made polite conversation until he said something that made me think. "Annabelle," he started, "I think that there is something bigger in the world than a war with magic and darkness. My father always told me to look up at night and see the faces of our fallen wizards, but I'm starting to see it differently. I think...," he stopped here and looked at me to make sure I wasn't laughing, but my face was completely serious, "I think I'm starting to see those who were wronged. Like the ones He Who Must Not Be Named killed." I had never heard him talk this serious and was surprised he even thought about this. He just kind of looked at me and shrugged, taking a bite out of a green apple, a look crossing his face that I couldn't place.

The thoughtful boy had quickly disappeared, and I wasn't sure how to ever get him back. Over the next few months, I busied myself with thoughts of schoolwork and my new friend Meghan. My favorite class by far was charms and Meghan liked Herbology, which was my second favorite class. We both had very similar tastes.

In the last week of school, Draco made a few more surprise visits into my life, and then of course we were neighbors so I would be seeing him all summer. Wonderful. He came up to me and explained that we would not be riding home together in my families car as planned because him and him parents would be visiting their summer house in Whales. I had never heard of this, but my anger bubbled to the surface a bit because he made it seem as though he would be embarrassed to be seem with me.

So I rode the train home with Meghan, but we lived too far apart to give her a ride so we said our goodbyes at the station. She hugged me fiercely and we exchanged our home addresses so we could send mail to each other while on break. I had hoped for a summer full of telling stories to my parents and lying around in the sun, and it was exactly what I got. I only had two essays to write and they were both already half way done. I got funny letters from Meghan describing her life at home with her brother and how she would threaten him to clean her room or she would set the bubble mouth curse on him that a friend had taught her. In exchange, she got letters telling about my little sister and I running through sprinklers and eating popsicles.

I truly thought that this was as hard as Hogwarts was ever going to become. But I enjoyed the fun while it lasted.

**Ok! Finally it's done and up, but in truth? I really don't like it. I will probably come back and edit it so it's better. Sorry it took me a super long time, I had stuff going on. You all understand. But I'm glad it's up so I can start my new chapters that will (I promise!) be one hundred times better. I know this one didn't have a lot of Draco in it, but I mean they are only eleven so there's not much they can do. Also, I know, I know, the stupid tree scene. It was out of character and I must have rewritten it like four times, but it's portraying a time when he was little and untouched, so I guess it fit. Ok! I'm done rambling and I won't preach to you anymore about reviewing. **

**Thank you so much for reading and hope you like the next chapter better! (haha)**


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